Nutrition in Combat Sports

76 J. Gauthier
sports. To the spectator of a sparring match, all that can be observed is the physical
violence. The judgment of the event, whether positive or negative, is then based only
upon that. It is difficult for such a person to understand that value is given to what
can be learned from the opponent (be it in victory or defeat), and that the opponent
is valued and respected, not just physically, but also for their character. [2]
Rightly so, one may wonder whether or not it is morally acceptable to allow (let
alone encourage) two opponents to enter a cage or a ring with a clear intent to seriously
injure or maim one another in order to win the contest. In Total Fighting, for
example, the rules permit any assault except eye-gouging, biting, striking to the
groin or throat, or bending back the fingers. Not surprisingly, it has been dubbed
the human equivalent of cockfighting. Interestingly, while all states in the USA
have legislation banning the practice of cockfighting, mixed martial arts is a legal,
regulated sport in at least 20 states (Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado,
Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nevada,
New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Washington),
and is unregulated in many others. [14] Some states such as Illinois and Missouri
have outlawed mixed martial arts. However, their number is small and may be on
the decline. For example, in California, the state governed by Arnold Schwarzenegger,
the state athletics commission has recently lifted a ban on mixed martial arts fights.
[14] “Mixed martial arts is one of the fastest-growing sports in the country,” said
Tim Lueckenhoff, national president of the Association of Boxing Commissions
(cited in Popiolkowski [19]) . “State and tribal commissions are racing to make sure
they can regulate it, because it’s another revenue source for them.”
In my view, combat sport such as Total Fighting is not only barbaric, but also
outright immoral. It does not matter if they are mutually consenting adults or if
paramedics and medical doctors are always at the ringside. Nothing should ever
override the most basic and universal moral principle that involves respecting and
caring for others as human beings. I truly understand that there are individuals
who may wish to test their skills under more realistic conditions (something more
analogous to real self-defence or battle situations), but this does not make it
morally acceptable in a civilized world. There are many other ways to be physically
challenged, to test one’s own physical abilities or to demonstrate one’s physical
superiority to others. For example, in addition to the traditional martial arts, those
include extreme sports (e.g., mountaineering, white-water rafting, sky diving) and
embarking on difficult missions (e.g., rescue and peace missions) for the wellbeing
of others.
There are combat sports that do encourage skills and strategies when fighting,
while minimizing the risks of physical injuries through limited physical contact or
permitting protective equipment, and enforcing strict safety rules. In addition, there
are combat sports, such as traditional martial arts, that also emphasize moral character
development. Those are morally acceptable. They should not be rounded-up
with the other combat sports. For example, taekwon-do competitions sanctioned by
the International Taekwon-Do Federation would fall into the category of combat
sports that are morally acceptable. So would sumo, judo, jujitsu, and many other
traditional martial arts.